NEWS

Royal Visit Delight at University

In spite of early morning storms, hundreds gathered at the University of Leicester to greet Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh when they came on Thursday 4th December to officially open the new David Wilson Library.

For more information on the visit and to a view a media pack, click here .

The Royal Standard flew above the University, and the smiling Royal party arrived to the tumult of cheers, applause and waving flags from the radiant crowds of students, staff and children. As if in celebration of the occasion, the clouds parted and the Queen and Duke approached the Library bathed in unexpected winter sunshine.

“In all the twelve years I’ve accompanied the Queen around the country, I can only remember seven occasions when she’s arrived in rain,” said a member of the Buckingham Palace team.

The Queen and Duke were accompanied by the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Lady Gretton JP, and Vice Lord Lieutenant Mr Richard Everard DL. Those presented to her on her entrance included Mr David Wyrko QPM, the High Sheriff of Leicestershire, Mrs Beryl Wyrko, Sir Peter Williams CBE, the Chancellor of the University of Leicester, and Professor Robert Burgess, Vice Chancellor of the University.

“It is a splendid occasion, as they always are,” Mr Wyrko said afterwards. “Whilst all royal visits are something special, the Queen and the Duke make it extra special, as can be seen by the crowds outside, who are absolutely fantastic. The weather, too, was lovely – rain all the time and then the sun came out just before she arrived. And that was a wonderful reward for all the people standing outside so long waiting to see her.”

Dressed in a pale pink coat and hat, with black bag and gloves, Her Majesty was escorted into the Library by Sir Peter Williams, while Professor Burgess accompanied His Royal Highness. “The Queen looked gorgeous in her pink outfit, almost like part of a rainbow. She looked absolutely lovely,” said Dr Wendy Hickling OBE, JP, DL (née Baldwin), the first ever graduate of the University of Leicester, also an Honorary Graduate and Distinguished Honorary Fellow.

Inside the Library the route was flanked by throngs of students gazing on the royal scene from the café, as well as Library staff, anxious to catch a glimpse of the Head of State who only the day before had been on television in full regalia to open Parliament.

“I feel very, very proud that the Queen has come to the University, and especially proud that she’s chosen to come and look at our wonderful new Library. It really reflects all the hard work every member of Library staff and the University has put in,” said Jo Aitkens, Head of Public Services in the Library.

Almost speechless with excitement, two members of the Library staff spoke for everyone. Trisha Hazarika said:

“It’s been a wonderful experience, like a dream come true to see the Queen in person. Just beautiful. I wish I could respond in some way, perhaps wave at her or say something. It’s been a beautiful experience.”

Rani Khan echoed her feelings:

“It’s a wonderful experience. People have been waiting all this time, and all the preparations there have been…It’s been a wonderful time.”

Dr Hilary Burgess, Mr Roger Bettles, Chairman of the University Council, Mr Michael Chamberlain OBE, University Treasurer, and Mr David Hall, Registrar and Secretary were presented to the Queen and the Duke before they proceeded further into the Library.

Mr Hall said:

“The visit marked not only an important milestone after the University celebrated its 50th anniversary year, but it also underlined a year of exceptional achievement by our staff and students. It was with great pleasure that we were able to show off our new library to such distinguished guests and I know that the many staff and visitors who joined us for the occasion had a thoroughly enjoyable day."

It was fifty years since the Royal couple’s last visit, in May 1958, shortly after the University had received its Royal Charter, when the Queen opened the the Percy Gee Building, housing the Students’ Union. Two guests at the royal event had also been present in 1958 and were able to exchange memories with her.

Dr Wendy Hickling commented:

“Meeting the Queen again was just as thrilling as it was the first time. It seems amazing that there has been such a passage of time in between. She was very interested in knowing how the University had developed and grown since the last visit.

“I tried to get across what a happy place it was, and is, to be in. I thought that when I walked across the campus this morning. People are always in good spirits. It is a happy place to study and I think that came across.

“She was very interested and very impressed. I noticed her looking around all the time. What a thrill to have her here again. It seems so appropriate that it was 50 years since she was here to award the University Charter.

“I feel particularly privileged. I’ve had a long contact with the University over that time that it’s so near and dear to my heart. It’s like a part of me. To have the Queen here today to acknowledge the growth and the achievement of the University and see the library was particularly apt.”

Like Dr Hickling, Mrs Jean Humphreys, Honorary Graduate, Distinguished Honorary Fellow of the University, and wife of the late Arthur Humphreys, Professor of English, has long been an enthusiastic supporter of the University. She had memories of meeting the royal couple even before 1958, in her native Isle of Arran.

Mrs Humphreys said:

“The Queen is really wonderful. She’s so accessible. Of course the first time I met her, in 1958, I just shook her hand and she moved down the line, but this time I had a word with her.

“I reminded her that they had come to the Isle of Arran in 1947, the year I got married. She was just engaged of course, she got married in November. The royal car came with the King and Queen and Princess Margaret and everyone was asking where Prince Philip was. He was driving the car behind, with Princess Elizabeth beside him and the security man at the back seat. The roads in Arran are very twisty and narrow. We were very impressed at him driving himself.”

The Queen and the Duke were fascinated to see the sculpture Shadow Figures by the highly acclaimed international artist and Leicester Honorary Graduate, Helaine Blumenfeld.

“The Queen was very excited about it and wanted us to show her how the sculptures moved. She really was focused on them. Prince Philip was so involved in what they were made of, how we did it and how the colour came that they had to hurry him along! It was very nice. She’s so charming. I thought I would be nervous but she was so relaxed and warm. I’m very pleased because the sculpture looks so good here,” said Dr Blumenfeld.

Shadow Figures has been donated to the University Library by Dr Frank May MBE, who has devoted 60 years of public service to the University and the City of Leicester, where he was born, grew up and returned after the Second World War to take up the running of his family business.

Dr May, also an Honorary Graduate and Distinguished Honorary Fellow of the University, agreed with the general opinion as to how easy Her Majesty had been to talk to. “It was as if you met an ordinary individual from the streets. She was very normal. She really put you at ease, and the Duke similarly,” he said.

Moving upstairs in the Library, the Royal party met a group of medical students and Professor Stewart Petersen Head of Medical and Social Care Education. They went on to meet Mr David Wilson DL, Principal Benefactor and Mrs Laura Wilson, as well as former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Fundraising Mr Nicholas Corah OBE DL, Mrs Penny Corah, Ms Christine Fyfe, Pro Vice Chancellor and University Librarian and Ms Louise Jones, Director of Library Services.

David Wilson said:

“We are very proud this morning, this is a fantastic occasion. The library has had a lot of planning and the whole project has exceeded everybody’s expectations and I am very, very proud of it and the University should be very proud of everything that has been achieved.”

Mr Corah echoed this sentiment remarking:

“Today has been an outstanding occasion, Both Penny and I have been enormously impressed by the organisation, the way in which this day has been put together in such a professional way, and how welcoming and hospitable all the staff of the University have been to us coming for this opening.”

In the Postgraduate Suite sponsors, students and guests were gathered and the Royal couple had an opportunity to view a model of the campus and to meet the architect and building and furniture contractors.

Her Majesty demonstrated keen interest in a small display of rare Bibles, local history books and other volumes of interest from the Library's Special Collections. These were shown to her by Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Librarian Christine Fyfe.

The Library has a notable collection of manuscripts and early books, ranging from medieval Books of Hours to the literary papers of Adrian Mole creator Sue Townsend. These can be consulted in the Kirby and West Special Collections suite in the David Wilson Library. During the Royal visit, the Queen saw examples of rare Bibles from the Robjohns collection including the 1631 'Wicked Bible', so-called because the word 'not' was omitted from the seventh commandment. She will also see topographical books from the renowned Hatton Collection and portrait prints from the Fairclough Collection.

Christine Fyfe said:

"Her Majesty was fascinated to see some examples from the Hatton Collection, one of the finest topographical collections to be amassed by a private individual. Thomas Hatton, the owner of a boot-manufacturing business and a boxing and crossword promoter, donated his collection of 2000 topographical works to the University College (the predecessor to the University of Leicester) in 1920, establishing the Library's Special Collections. The Queen took a close interest in the 1584 History of Cambria, the first history of Wales adorned with woodcut illustrations and she was especially interested in the special glazed goat skin bindings developed by Thomas Hatton from his knowledge of the using leather in the shoe trade. Her Majesty examined the works closely and commented on the fascinating work carried out by the binder at the Royal Library."

"Her Majesty also commented on the ornate embossed binding of William Burton's 1777 Description of Leicester, a copy carrying the bookplate of Thomas Fielding Johnson, the donor of the land on which the main campus is situated. Her Majesty was interested to see that this is a grangerized copy, containing many additional embellishments and inserts, probably added during the 19th century."

Her Majesty viewed an exhibition of the Royal visit of 1958. This included a display of photographs, press reports and commemorative publications from the Royal Visit of May 1958 which included the opening of Percy Gee Building.

His Royal Highness was shown an exhibition of the Space Research demonstration of the Plume Project, a student-run satellite project which allows small spacecraft to be launched at very low cost by piggy backing on the launch of a large satellite which provides real-life experience of working on space instrumentation led by Professor Martin Barstow.

He also saw an Earth Observation demonstration on the application of space-based observations of the earth to science and everyday problems including quantifying greenhouse gases, the effect of urbanisation on the Indian sub-continent and the global impact of fires.

The Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor then escorted Her Majesty and His Royal Highness to the PC Zone to meet students who demonstrated how they use IT to research and present their work. Her Majesty talked to Computer Science students, led by Professor Reiko Heckel, who discussed the ongoing development of the ‘Virtual Teaching Hospital System’.

This system allows practicing of diagnosing and managing patients in simulations using real patient data. The intention is to improve supervision of medical students during clinical placements by providing feedback on diagnosis and treatment choices through a web-based medical decision support system.

This development, which is carried out in cooperation with Dr John Omara and in consultation with the Medical School, has progressed through a number of past and ongoing projects at the Department of Computer Science. The system will be presented by some of the participants in these projects, specifically, the group who won the BEA Systems Award for the best 2nd year project, and Adwoa Donyina who continued this work in her MSc project and is now doing her PhD at the Department.

His Royal Highness met with Archaeology and Ancient History students, led by Dr Penelope Allison, who demonstrated how to use the Pompeii database. The Duke spoke at length with the students and with Dr Allison and looked at the technology that helped them advance their studies.

During the visit, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness were treated to demonstrations of some of the facilities that have contributed to the building’s success. These include the automated book return facility, which has made life easier for students and staff alike. It allows students to return their books quickly and easily throughout Library opening hours, with user-friendly RFID technology.

The automated book return then sorts each item into separate bins so that Library staff can easily return the material to the correct shelves. The system has proved very popular since its introduction in April. Such was the Royal interest in the facility that The Duke even picked a book out of one of the spring-loaded containers which collect books for each floor.

Chris Tilbury from IT Services showed His Royal Highness how the latest technology can help students to find a free computer if they are in a hurry during busy Library periods, without the need to run around the Library looking for one.

Gareth Johnson, Information Librarian, with student Alex Smith, showed the Queen other computerised facilities. He said:

“It was wonderful to be with the Queen. She is even more charming than I thought. It was like watching something on television to see her come through here. We talked about the various resources we’ve got here. She asked Alex [Smith] questions about what he was studying and how he was using the resources. It allowed us to showcase some of them. I met the Chancellor as well and he was very charming, too.”

Alex Smith added:

“She was very charming. We had a joke about the amount of hours students study these days and how, because of the resources the Library has, you can study not just at University but at home as well. It was slightly surreal but very nice.”

The Royal visit ended with the unveiling of the plaque commemorating the opening of the David Wilson Library. As Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness Prince Philip departed, they left an elated atmosphere behind them.

Leaving the Library, Cameron, a student from Taiwan said:

“We saw her through the glass. We were looking for a way to say hallo and show our respect. But we know that personally we can’t have contact with her. This is a really good chance to meet her. It’s really a quite unique chance to join in these events.”

Kay, a student from China, added

“It was fabulous that I saw the Queen. It was fantastic. I heard from some British guy that if you saw the Queen you got lucky. I was very happy. It’s something to tell them at home.”

Outside, too, the crowds were gradually dwindling into knots of people excitedly exchanging memories. Among them were a group of medical students who had taken time out of their busy study schedule to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event.

“It was amazing. We were standing right at the front. She waved at us. She was talking to the kids in front of us, and she spoke to us. It was really amazing. We got here really early at 8.00. It was well worth the wait,” said Raunak Singh and Rachel Chander.

Vaisnavi Kumar and Vaisnavi Critharan agreed:

“We got here a bit early. It was beautiful. Really good. We should be studying, but this is such a big occasion. It’s definitely been worth it.”

Dharani Selvarajah, Himanshu Patel and Sachin Sudera added:

“It’s a wonderful thing that we decided to do it. It was a once in a lifetime experience. We’ll probably never see her again. I didn’t think she’d ever come to the University. It was so unexpected. It’s really been fun.”

Reflecting on the visit, The Chancellor Sir Peter Williams said:

“HM The Queen was very interested in higher education and particularly enjoyed discussions with the students. The Queen was fascinated by the development in the University, it becoming Times Higher University of the Year. I reminded her of her visit 50 years ago when we were not in that exalted position, how much progress we have made. We talked about many things but to me it was a memorable occasion and I saw, when I introduced her to the record of her visit 50 years ago, how much the memory of that meant to her..

"The Queen spent a lot of time looking at the special collection display, she recognised the Royal Leicestershire Regiment which formed the guard of honour on that occasion, bringing the memories flooding back for her.

"I think the University has served itself very well today. At the luncheon gathering, The Queen herself commented that in this room we have people from the University, the City and the County as well as supporters from around the country. I said ‘exactly Ma’am, this University brings people together.’

“I think the Library is stunning, and as we left it I said “Your Majesty, at night when the lights shine, this building is even more beautiful.”

Professor Bob Burgess, Vice-Chancellor concluded:

“Inviting the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh back to the University after fifty year has generated huge excitement across the campus. The numbers of staff and students filling every available position so as to see the Royal party was tremendous. It has been a visit packed with presentations, exhibitions and the formal opening of the Library. It all showed the University’s staff and students at their very best. I was very proud to witness the official opening of the David Wilson Library by Her Majesty as the Library will be a focal point for many generations of staff and students. I am delighted that their day with us was such a success, thanks to the hard work and meticulous planning by all the staff and students involved –another great success for the University. It has been a key moment in our history that will last forever.”

For more views from the day click here .

To view photographs and video footage taken on the day, click here .

For more information on the visit and to a view a media pack, click here .